Confession: How I Stalked The Shard

The View from The Shard – Levels 68, 69 and 72. Credit: The View from The Shard.

Imagine a building so tall the view from the window is like looking out of an aircraft. Imagine standing on a floor so high that helicopters are below you. And imagine 40 miles of London views, from the Olympic to Wembley Stadiums, all laid out before you.

Imagine no more: the EU’s highest building, The Shard is soon to open its viewing deck. As a London viewpoint fanatic who has stalked the Shard since building began, I was one of the first to check out the jaw-dropping sight of The View From The Shard. Here’s the background story of how I stalked The Shard.

I’ve been following the progress of The Shard since construction on the building first began in March 2009. As a frequent visitor to Genoa, I was familiar with Italian architect Renzo Piano’s signature glass work on his home town, and a Londoner, I’ve seen The Shard sprout up and redefine many of my favourite London vistas over the last few years.

When walking in Southwark, I enjoyed the signpost for the Tate Modern ironically pointing towards the most modern building London has ever seen:

Modernity this way: The Shard as seen from Southwark

While taking the train out of Waterloo one morning I loved how the sunlight reflected in the half-glazed Shard’s giant glass panels – as well as on the train window:

The View of The Shard from the train out of Waterloo

And from one of my favourite open spaces at Primrose Hill, I was thrilled by the way The Shard lined up with all the other iconic London landmarks, such as the London Eye and The BT Tower:

The Shard takes its place on the London skyline, seen from Primrose Hill

I saw The Shard in the distance from an amazing viewpoint overlooking Trafalgar Square – the top of New Zealand House.

So I knew I would jump at the opportunity to see the views from The Shard itself – at nearly twice the height of the BT Tower and for a short time Europe’s tallest building (the title was recently claimed by a building in Moscow) I knew the view of London would be stunning. So did those views live up to expectations?

Look out for my full review and photos of The View From The Shard in the next few days…